New research revealed by the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Catapult today, indicates that the UK cell and gene therapy industry continues to expand, as the UK establishes itself as a global leader in the development of living medicines.
With an increased focus from commercial ventures on pre-clinical research and clinical trials and a significant advance in cell and gene therapy manufacturing capability, this follows a consistent trend of growth across the industry since the CGT Catapult was established five years ago.
This increasing size and scale of the UK’s cell and gene therapy capability has created the most buoyant sector in Europe, and one of the most advanced globally, second only to the United States. As the sector expands and continues to build a strong pipeline of pre-clinical and clinical trials, commercial interest has also continued to grow, with 40% of clinical trials now sponsored by industry.
To support this burgeoning research and development, manufacturing and infrastructure continues to keep pace, with the size of the UK’s GMP licensed manufacturing space increasing year on year by nearly 20%, and further expansions on the horizon for 2019. By providing these facilities, the UK is well placed to service this exciting cell and gene therapy pipeline, and provide a platform for continued UK growth into these complex and technically challenging therapies.
The UK is becoming a real beacon for cell and gene therapy clinical research, as facilities increase in size and expertise, and private and government investment is ensuring its continued growth over the next 5 years and beyond.
Keith Thompson, CEO, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
With an extra £12 million recently awarded through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to expand the CGT Catapults manufacturing facility at Stevenage and an increasing appetite from commercial ventures in facilities such as the Stevenage facility, the CGT Catapult is experiencing continued investment enabling the further expansion of its capabilities and continued support of the UK cell and gene therapy sector. Coupled with an increasing focus on expanding its global reach, the CGT Catapult continues to be a key driver in making the UK an international powerhouse in cell and gene therapy.
This is clearly an exciting time for the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and our colleagues in industry. Our first collaborators, Autolus and Cell Medica are set to move into our new Stevenage manufacturing centre in the coming months, we have had further investment from the government enabling us to incorporate a further 6 modules on the second floor of the manufacturing centre, and we are looking forward to working with new companies coming to the centre over the coming months.
Keith Thompson, CEO, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Further information:
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult preclinical research report
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult clinical database